These pieces of writing are my hits and misses
for the year. There are three hits and three misses.
Hit #1
My first hit was my reading focus writing. This
was a hit because I did thorough research on the topic, and I could write about
my reading focus easily.
Freedom and Oppression
Nigeria has had many
different freedoms and signs of oppression against its people over a long
period of time. Corruption, relentless taxes, and unjust treatment of the poor
are a few examples of the citizens being oppressed. This unfair treatment even
caused a war to break out in the 1800’s. The people of Nigeria were also being
oppressed after they were introduced to European powers in 1486. Many were
captured by neighboring lands and sold to Britain to be slaves. This slave
trade with Britain lasted for over 350 years.
Although oppression was
present throughout Nigeria’s history, the people also had many freedoms. The
Freedom to choose one’s religion is allowed in Nigeria. Many different
religions are present there such as Christianity, Islam, and many local
religions. Another freedom was the option for children to get an education.
Despite being expensive, children could go to school, and Nigeria has the
largest system of higher education in Africa.
Hit #2
My second hit was the
literary analysis. I feel like this piece was a hit because it was where I
learned to properly embed quotes meaningfully.
Down to the Roots
Everyone has instincts that have been passed down from their ancestors who used
them for survival. These instincts have been hidden over time by the rules
society has created. The boys in Lord of the Flies fall out of society
and slowly pull out these instincts from within themselves to survive after the
plane crash. Initially, leading positions need to form in their group to create
order in this new environment, a deserted island. Ralph and Jack rise from the
crowd of young survivors to represent the different choices for the best way to
survive. The boys start off by following Ralph and his society based rules, but
the longer they are on the island, the more they side with Jack and his savage
way of life. William Golding creates a shift in power between Ralph and Jack to
show the primal instincts a person has hidden inside them.
In the beginning, the kids vote for Ralph to be leader and say they will follow
him. They all attend the meetings and act like civilized people with Ralph
there, but Ralph starts to lose control after the meetings. When the
boys leave the reality of civilized ways that is on the platform, they discard
Ralph’s ideas and do whatever they want, and they hunt with Jack and his choir.
Ralph is talking to Jack about this problem and says, “Meetings. Don’t we love
meetings? Every day. Twice a day. We talk. [...] Then we’d be, you know, very
solemn, and someone would say we ought to build a jet, or a submarine, or a TV
set. When the meeting was over they’d work for five minutes, then wander off or
go hunting” (51). This routine is implemented from the very first day and makes
Ralph get angry because the boys are not following his rules. Ralph chooses
sarcasm to show that the kids have some ideas, but then they wander off and
never follow through. No matter how hard Ralph tries, the long-lost primitive
instincts keep pushing the kids to think about being the hunter and not the
hunted.
Jack starts to gain more influence over Ralph when he convinces Samneric that
hunting is more fun and important than the fire that could lead to rescue. Jack
has just put on his mask and is taking his first step in being savage. Bill and
Jack are dancing around in excitement and now only have one goal, to kill a
pig. They run to Samneric and pull them away from the fire and their
responsibilities to hunt: “He began to dance and his laughter became a
bloodthirsty snarling. [...] Bill started up laughing; then suddenly he fell
silent and blundered away through the bushes. Jack rushed toward the twins. /
‘The rest are making a line. Come on!’ / ‘But--’ / ‘--we--’ / [...] ‘We can
light the fire again. You should have been with us, Ralph’” (64 & 69). In
this section of the book, the carelessness of these actions show that they are
thinking with their stomach and not their brain. Jack shows that he does not
care about rescue, only thinks in the moment, and only thinks about hunting
like his ancestors. He then makes the other boys want to follow his actions.
Due to Jack’s influence, the kids are ultimately going back to primitive ways
instead of doing their jobs and working productively. They are only focused on
their basic needs, and they let their instincts blind them from following Ralph
and getting off the island.
The fear that the beast, a physical and mental creature, produced the main
cause for the kid’s decisions to follow Jack’s actions. Jack and his tribe
treat the beast like it is an idol and try to make peace with it. They put a
pig head on a stick and leave it out for the beast. Jack calls it a gift for
the beast: “Maurice and Robert skewered the carcass, lifted the dead weight,
and stood ready. In the silence, and standing over the dry blood, they looked
suddenly furtive. Jack spoke loudly. ‘This head is for the beast. It’s a gift’”
(137). This fear makes the boys scared for their lives. They side with Jack
because he says he will hunt the beast, make peace with the beast, and is not
scared of the beast. They are convinced by his confidence and think he
can protect them. He is also barbaric and a threat to the others, so they join
Jack for protection from the harm he can do, and has done, to them if they are
with Ralph. The fear of the beast made the boys think about their
survival over their chance for rescue. They abandon the idea of a civilization
and became savages to feel free from danger. The instincts they have are
telling them to run, hunt, and live at any cost.
Another reason that the boys choose Jack because they think that he provides
the greater chance of survival; thus, becoming savages with him instead of
being civilized with Ralph. Jack slaughters a mother pig and decides to have a
feast for the others. After the feast, everyone’s hunger is satisfied, and Jack
uses this opportunity to ask who wants to join his tribe: “I gave you food and
my hunters will protect you from the beast. [...] Who will join my tribe? / ‘I
will’ / ‘Me’ / ‘I’ll blow the conch,’ said Ralph breathlessly, ‘and call an
assembly.’ / ‘We shan’t hear it’” (150 & 151). The kids value meat and
protection from Jack over the order and law from Ralph. Jack knows how to hunt
and can provide meat for them. Jack’s ability to protect them is better than
Ralph’s because he is more experienced with the spears and weapons they have.
The kids just do what they desire and not what is important. They are thinking
short term with their instincts instead of choosing the civilized and long-term
solution to get off the island.
Personalities and instincts are connected in many ways as shown in this book
written by William Golding. The shift in power from Ralph to Jack represents
the difference between society and savagery. Ralph provides the hope for
rescue, but Jack’s feeling of safety overpowers that concept. The group’s
choice to follow Jack delays their rescue and almost leads them to a fearful
life forever on the island.
Hit #3
Annihilation of the
Enemy
The blitzkrieg strategy was created and used by Germany in World War II to
avoid a war of position. The blitzkrieg strategy starts with focused attacks on
the enemy's lines of communication using air force ("Blitzkrieg," Europe).
When the lines of communication are taken out, and the enemy is confused, the
armored units, tanks, will attack enemy artillery and reserve forces
("Blitzkrieg," International). After the ground units break
through weak spots in the enemy line, the infantry and armored units attack the
stronger lines of the enemy’s defense from behind. Germany lost World War II,
and the strategy is thought to have failed with Germany by experts such as Omer
Bartov and Christian Gerlach ("Blitzkrieg," Europe).
Although the blitzkrieg strategy is thought to have failed in late World War II
by many more experts, the strategy had complete success against Poland and
France early in the war. It is considered to have failed later in the war
against Russia and the Allies, but blitzkrieg still managed to annihilate those
enemies despite the lack of supply and the poor planning provided by Germany.
The blitzkrieg strategy defeated the countries Poland and France in a matter of
weeks and was indisputably successful in early World War II. Poland was the
first to encounter the strategy ("Blitzkrieg," Europe). After
Germany took over Czechoslovakia, Poland’s border with Germany was increased by
five hundred miles. Poland could not completely defend the newly enlarged
border, and a decision of where to defend had to be made. Poland’s commander in
chief, Marshal Edward Smigly-Rydz, had to choose between placing his army
behind the Vistula river and using the natural defense or defending the
farmland and industry to the west. The commander decided to place most of the
Polish troops close to the border in the west (Roberts). The decision to not
use the river as a natural defense and to place Poland’s army close to the
border allowed blitzkrieg to unleash its full potential against Poland.
Blitzkrieg was used by Germany in the form of two strong flanks and a weak
center against Poland (Roberts). Without the long and wide rivers to worry
about, tTanks were able to take advantage of the flat and sturdy land that
Poland provided in the west. The armored units could easily follow through on
their important role in blitzkrieg and broke through enemy lines successfully.
The North and South flanks were able to surround the Polish army after breaking
through enemy lines (Roberts). The North went through the Polish Corridor and
attacked the capital, and the South went through the stronger forces and
attacked Warsaw (Roberts). The Polish army was attacked from all angles and
demolished. Germany's use of blitzkrieg on Poland was also brutal and
unstoppable. After most of Poland's air force was taken out before they could
leave the ground, Germany had complete control of the air above Poland
(Roberts). Germany's many planes bombed roads, airfields, railway junctions,
and cities (Roberts). Germany used their air force to annihilate everything in
their path without much resistance left from Poland.
After Poland was easily annihilated, Germany set their eyes on France.
Germany’s use of blitzkrieg was successful against France despite being
outnumbered ("Blitzkrieg," Europe). Winston Churchill,
newly appointed prime minister of Britain during World War II, made many
speeches about the fight against Germany and the progress on it. The following
information was interpreted from the speeches “Be Ye Men of Valour” and “Their
Finest Hour” by Winston Churchill.
In “Be Ye Men of Valour,” Churchill says "A tremendous battle is raging in
France and Flanders. The Germans, by a remarkable combination of air bombing
and heavily armoured tanks, have broken through the French defences north of
the Maginot Line, and strong columns of their armoured vehicles are ravaging
the open country” ("Churchill, Winston"). Churchill comments on how
remarkable the combination, or strategy, used by Germany is. He is surprised
about how efficient the strategy was to break through French defenses, and he
says Germany’s armored vehicles are destroying everything left in their path.
Less than a month later, Churchill says “This decision was painful, but it was
also right, [sic] because the fortunes of the battle in France could not have
been decisively affected even if we had thrown in our entire fighter force.
That battle was lost by the unfortunate strategical opening" in “Their
Finest Hour” ("Churchill, Winston"). In that short amount of time,
Germany’s strategical opening, blitzkrieg, forced Britain to fall back and
abandon France. In that quote, Churchill was pained to say that France could
not be saved even if Britain used its entire fighter force against Germany, and
that statement expresses the quickness and power of the blitzkrieg strategy.
After blitzkrieg’s initial and complete success, Germany was confident to start
the attack against Russia and the Allies. The blitzkrieg strategy was stopped
by Russia and then the Allies in Germany’s attempt for further expansion. The
information given about Germany’s attack against the Allies will be focused on
the Battle of the Bulge. The campaign against Russia came first and was known
as Operation Barbarossa ("Ambrose, Stephen E."; “Operation
Barbarossa”).
The plan for Operation Barbarossa had three parts. Germany would break through
the Red Army and encircle them. The German army would then pillage the
agriculture in Russia to feed themselves, hurt Russia’s economy, and cause
hunger throughout the rest of Russia. The third part was to allow the German
police to be brutal and kill alleged enemies and civilians in the taken over
areas ("Operation Barbarossa"). Germany's plan of attack on Russia
failed because Russia's defense was underestimated. Russia was materially
superior compared to Germany, and their impregnable defense caused the precise
planning needed for blitzkrieg to succeed to become disorganized. After the
planned attacks became disorganized, Hitler ignored his generals and decided to
continue the attack on to Moscow. This attack failed and allowed Russia’s Red
Army to counterattack Germany successfully ("Operation Barbarossa").
Germany was forced to retreat hundreds of miles, and the decision caused this
failure in Operation Barbarossa.
The other failed battle, Germany’s last great offensive and use of blitzkrieg
in World War II, was the Battle of the Bulge. The Allies were fighting through
France, that was controlled by Germany, and were having success. Germany
decided to counterattack with two hundred and fifty thousand soldiers when the
Allies had to stop to refill on supplies. The counterattack happened in the
Ardennes Forest, a weak spot in the American line. The area provided cover for
the German army to hide, and Germany took advantage of a morning fog to
surprise attack the Allies. Germany used blitzkrieg in this battle to push
forty miles into the American line. After the battle, the German army was deep
in enemy lines and low on supplies. The Allies pushed back and took the land
back in a month. The vulnerable German army received many casualties
("Ambrose, Stephen E."). Germany's trouble with blitzkrieg was
holding onto the newly gained land. The quickness of blitzkrieg left their army
deep in enemy lines. This speed added to the common supply problem caused
Germany to lose the enemies land in their failed operations using blitzkrieg.
Operation Barbarossa and the Battle of the Bulge could be considered successful
with in-depth thinking and reasoning. They both follow the annihilation
principle, the concept that "the goal of the entire process was the
conduct of traditional battles of annihilation under the most favorable
circumstances possible" that blitzkrieg and German tactics were built on
("Blitzkrieg" International). Operation Barbarossa followed the
annihilation principle by destroying Russia’s industry and taking the food
intended for Russia and its citizens. This pillaging caused mass starvation in
major cities such as Kharkov. Germany also received fewer casualties from the
campaign. Two million prisoners of war, six hundred thousand citizens, and over
one million soldiers in the Red Army were killed. The Germans had fewer killed
with four hundred and sixty thousand casualties in the German army
("Operation Barbarossa"). The Battle of the Bulge followed the
annihilation principle by pushing forty miles into the American line, and the
battle became the costliest battle of the war for Americans ("Ambrose,
Stephen E."). By destroying the enemy, receiving less damage than the
enemy, and pushing through the enemy’s land, these two battles followed the
annihilation principle and completed their main goal of annihilating the enemy
in the most favorable circumstances possible.
It could also be argued that the failure in these battles was caused by
Germany’s and Hitler’s faults instead of the strategy’s. Hitler was overly
confident when planning the attack on Russia and underestimated their army
("Blitzkrieg," Europe). Russia's resistance caused the
scheduled attacks that were important to blitzkrieg to become distorted and
unorganized. Hitler also did not listen to his generals and decided to attack
the agricultural areas of Russia ("Operation Barbarossa"). Hitler's
army had supply problems after the attack on the agricultural land in Russia
and failed in the battle on Moscow because of those misjudgments instead of
failing because of the strategy.
Germany's lack of supplies also weakened their use of the strategy. Their army
was vulnerable when the supplies were low. Germany failed to plan to resupply
their troops soon after the blitzkrieg strategy pushed through the American
line ("Ambrose, Stephen E."). They could have held onto the newly
gained land and had success in their failed operation with proper planning in
the Battle of the Bulge.
The blitzkrieg strategy was successful throughout all of World War II.
Blitzkrieg still annihilated its enemies despite Hitler’s poor planning,
misjudgment, and incapability to supply his army. The strategy allowed Germany
to cause chaos during World War II and become a threat to many countries
despite Hitler’s commanding faults. Germany and Hitler caused the failure of
the war instead of being caused by the ever so successful blitzkrieg strategy.
Misses
My other miss was the Personal Narrative. This piece was a miss because I had trouble keeping the sentence fluency suitable. I tried to fix this by using sentence fragments, but this made the quality of the paper worse.
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